Every Bot has its Day
by WingedWolfAlari
Summary: After a horrible run in with MECH, all of the bots get captured and put into 'Project Domesticus'. A few weeks later, they are found unconscious by their human companions and have no memory of how they escaped. However, they certainly have changed, A LOT. As they adjust, how will they protect the humans and their other new friends now? Optimus/Acree, OCs, Rated T for blood/cussing.
1. Ch 1 Worst Nightmare

**Hello Readers! WingedWolfAlari here with another story I hope you'll enjoy. This story is a lot more humorous than my first, but be warned. Later on the story will take a dark turn where I will reveal my secret weapon (Muahahaha). You'll never guess what it is. Alrighty then, lets dive into this tale, shall we?**

**I have made several changes to the plot of the series. As of now MECH is still operational, Silas is still human, however Breakdown is still dead, and Smokescreen is here as well. **

**I also have no earthly idea on how to incorporate the Cons into the story, so if anyone has any suggestions, please post them in a review as well as any additional ideas for the story itself. Thanks again.**

**EARLY WARNING! A good portion of this chapter is basically a description of the characters and details on some events up to that point. I included this for some friends of mine who are going to read this but have never seen the series. However, there is some Optimus/Arcee in the description somewhere. So if you want to read that and skip the rest be my guest. Just make sure that you don't skip to the end, it's really important to the plot.**

**Disclaimer: Transformers Prime and its characters unfortunately don't belong to me but Hasbro. However the OCs Cadence, Camilla, and Gabriella all belong to me.**

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Chapter 1: Worst Nightmare

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_Autobot Outpost Omega 1-3__rd__ pov_

It was around four o'clock on Friday at the Autobot base, otherwise known as Autobot Outpost Omega 1, as it sat peacefully and inconspicuously in the Nevada desert. The base was once an American military missile silo that had long since been abandoned, at least until the Autobots got there. Compared to the Nemesis, the Decepticon warship that was almost always on the move, the AOO1 was cleverly disguised as one of the large stone mesas that clustered in that area.

Not much was going on today at the mesa. No Decepticon signals had been identified, nor had there been any other recent critical injuries for Ratchet to treat. So, overall it was pretty quiet aside from the occasional beep from the monitor and the heavy footsteps that accompanied the silo's occupants. The silence was soon interrupted by the sound of three engines roaring into base. Said engines belonged to Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead.

Arcee rolled into the control room in her motorcycle alt form and briefly stopped to let her charge dismount her. The rider stepped off and removed his helmet to reveal a mess of onyx hair and a set of blue grey eyes. "Hey Ratchet." The rider greeted the Autobot medic.

"Good afternoon Jack, I trust that school went well." The teenager turned to him with a small grin on his face and nodded before heading off to the couch in the area designated for humans. All while the all too familiar sounds of clicking and whirring echoed throughout the room as the second in command transformed into her real form. The femme was the smallest of her faction but that didn't mean she was to be underestimated in battle. Her Royal blue and light pink highlighted armor shined along with the chrome metal skin and faceplate. Her optics were a unique lavender laced light blue color.

Not only a few seconds later, both a yellow and black striped Camaro and a large green truck followed suit and opened their doors. Two kids hopped out of the Cybertronians. One of which was a spunky Japanese foreign exchange student with pink highlights in her black hair and beautiful brown eyes. The other was a brown spikey haired thirteen-year-old with glasses and light brown eyes. He was also holding a laptop under his left arm. Ratchet nearly glitched when the troublemaking girl cried out at the top of her lungs,

"YES! NO MORE SCHOOL!" One of the orange and white medic's fragile tools he happened to be working on at the time shattered in the process. After the other two mechs transformed, all of the bots and humans shielded their ears and audio receptors for what they knew would come next.

"MIKO! I NEEDED THAT!" Ratchet performed his signature quote on queue as he harshly scolded her. Miko Nakadai rolled her eyes as she calmly snapped back,

"Take a chill pill Doc Bot." using the ever so clever nickname she gave him when they met for the first time all those months ago. The same nickname that made the chief medic's optic twitch in annoyance every time he picked it up on his audios. Bulkhead walked up to him and placed a servo on his shoulder in a jocular manner in an attempt to calm a fuming Ratchet. The former wrecker was the second largest Autobot in their group and was equipped with a wrecking ball in his arm. His frame resembled that of a large dark green hulk, a large green hulk that also tended to be on the receiving end of Ratchet's temper since it was made for breaking things.

"She's right Ratch, she has a right to be excited." Bulkhead exclaimed while Miko provided a thumbs up for her guardian.

"Why? It's only the weekend. A weekend like any other." Ratchet argued back with his robot fists clenched. A much younger voice spoke up from the human area,

"Actually, it's not." It was the youngest of the children speaking. The older mech cocked an eyebrow,

"What do you mean, Rafael?" His gruff voice had calmed down by now since Raf was much more tolerable than Miko.

"Today was the last final exam, which marks the last day of the school year," the young boy explained in a way the bots could understand.

"We have the summer off." Jack piped in cheerfully.

Everyone flinched when Ratchet officially glitched and landed sprawled out over the Autobot insignia printed on the metal floor with a loud crash. Bumblebee could not resist the urge to click several times in laughter. The yellow scout was the second to last in terms of height but was the youngest of all the bots. When Cybertron was ravaged by vorns of war, Megatron himself cruelly ripped Bumblebee's voice box out. The damage was too severe and thus, the scout was permanently speechless. The only way he can communicate to others is through a series of robotic sounds that are understandable to only Cybertronians, strangely enough with the exception of Rafael Esquivel.

Suddenly, a normal human car drove into base. Nobody did anything but stare at the car's driver with confused expressions. The driver who stepped out was not an enemy, but still no one expected a surprise visit from Ms. June Darby this early in the day. June was dressed in her teal nurse uniform scrubs and her long raven hair was tied back into a ponytail as usual. She was the one to break the silence,

"Hi Jack, Arcee. I got off work early today and thought I might stop by to see my high school senior-to-be and why is Ratchet on the floor?" she finished quickly, her expression changing from calm and cheery to concern from a mother who's a nurse's standpoint. Jack's face flushed red at what June called him, but quickly took advantage of her question and switched the subject.

"…Uh thanks Mom umm, he glitched when we broke the news to him."

"What do you mean by 'glitched'?" she asked curiously. Raf butted in with his tech wiz intelligence,

"A Cybertronian's version of fainting short term." Almost immediately after he said that, the Autobot medic's optics onlined and both Bumblebee and Arcee helped him up off the floor. Rubbing his helm, he shot an angry glare at both Miko and Bulkhead before turning back towards the monitor grumbling to himself under his intake. June soon followed and the two began to discuss a variety of subjects that the rest of the group could care less about.

"Senior-to-be?" Arcee asked her partner in a taunting tone while lifting one eyebrow. Jack's cheeks lit up like a Christmas tree once again as he slapped himself on the forehead with his right hand and groaned in embarrassment. Raf butted in again,

"When school starts again in August, Jack will begin his final high school year before he heads off to college next year. The ninth through twelve grades each have a name. I skipped a few grades earlier last year, so I finished my freshman year today. In August, I'll be a sophomore or in tenth grade, Miko will become a junior, and Jack a senior. The same names also apply to the first four years of college as well."

"Ah." was all Arcee said to that, but you could tell that she was contemplating Jack going to college.

A sudden alarm sounded, which meant that someone was contacting the base. Ratchet intercepted the communication link, and the Autobot rookie Smokescreen's voice filled the room,

**"This is Smokescreen; the energon spike was a no show. Optimus and I need a bridge." **

"I read you Smokescreen; I'm sending a bridge a click from your coordinates." Ratchet responded through the comm. link, tapped a few keys on the keyboard. Suddenly, the gaping hole located on the wall across from the control panel roared to life and was accompanied by a blaze of swirling blue and green lights.

**"Thanks Ratch. And oh by the way, we're bringing over a surprise for you guys, one that I think Miko and Bulkhead will love a lot." **And with that the comm. was offlined, followed by loud whoops courtesy of Miko and Bulkhead. The medic only pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensors and sighed,

"Primus help us all that the base will remain standing by the end of this day." June softly patted his shoulder,

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think Ratchet. I mean whatever the surprise is would have to go through Optimus' approval before it entered his base, right?" The white and orange mech looked at her with a slightly more positive look on his faceplate.

"Perhaps you're right Ms. Darby."

A few minutes passed, and a figure began making its presence known within the aurora hued portal. First came a pair of white pedes and legs. Then, eventually the hips and a blue chassis formed followed by white arms with a red dash here and there. Soon enough, the AOO1's company was met with Smokescreen's familiar smirk that was almost always planted on his faceplate and sharp blue optics. The rookie was greeted by smiles from all of the humans as he entered the silo.

Immediately afterwards, a gargantuan cobalt blue and crimson mech strolled through the groundbridge. His regal blue optics remained ever calm, but gave off a sense of wisdom and stress gained from a gruel and millennia-lasting war that still reigned to this day, but raged on another planet. All of the Autobots immediately stood up straight respectfully as their leader, the matrix-bearer and last of the primes, turned his helm towards them. A warm smile formed on his faceplates and he nodded, acknowledging them and the humans as he walked over to the monitor to turn and face the bridge. Optimus Prime shot a look at Smokescreen as if it was a command. Smokescreen winked in response as he opened up a comm. link.

"Come on in, Wheeljack."

Miko and Bulkhead gasped in surprise as the other former wrecker walking into base with swag in his step. Every bot rolled his or her optics when Bulkhead ran up gleefully to the red, green, and white mech and hugged him with all of his strength.

"Jackie!" Wheeljack's strained voice went from normal to raspy as he exclaimed,

"It's good to see you too Bulk. Argh… Let go of me…before Hatchet'll have to weld two of me back together." Bulkhead released his hold on his companion. Wheeljack fell to one knee intaking sharply before delivering a sneak lob onto Bulkhead, who playfully retaliated.

It wasn't long before the Autobots of AOO1 took advantage of this moment of peace and were continuing on with their daily activities as they didn't get many visits from Wheeljack, who traveled Earth and galaxies beyond in his small ship, the Jackhammer. However, Optimus knew better than to let his guard down, as he also knew all too well that these moments of serenity never lasted long.

* * *

_An hour or so later._

"Optimus. I'm receiving an SOS signal from Agent Fowler." Ratchet called to his commander, who answered in his baritone voice.

"Ratchet, can you intercept the transmission?"

"I'll try Optimus." The medic typed furiously away at the keyboard and the picture of the Autobot's government liaison popped up on the monitor. Everyone turned to the screen in concern when a fuzzy transmission came through.

**"Bzzt…PRIME, I've been ambus…d…zzt…MEC…Silas and his croni…mean business this ti…zzt**…**need backup." **The connection was lost, but missiles and gunfire could be heard in the background. Before Optimus could give an order, Ratchet's optics widened at what appeared on the screen.

"Optimus you're not going to believe this, an unidentified Cybertronian signal has appeared at Agent Fowler's coordinates. It seems that MECH is tailing it and Agent Fowler."

(Insert famous Star Wars clip, "It's a trap!")

This caught the commander off guard. If another of their species landed on this planet, no matter if it was an Autobot or not, it didn't deserve to be in MECH's twisted hands. Plus, more additions to the team meant a higher chance of winning the war. Without hesitation, the Autobot leader dawned on his 'this is serious' face.

"Autobots, Agent Fowler and the Cybertronian are in dire need of assistance. Bulkhead, Bumblebee, and Arcee, we need to make this a quick rescue. The longer it takes, the more information MECH can obtain on us. Wheeljack and Smokescreen, this will be the first time that you two will have faced MECH in battle and I must advise that you do not underestimate them. Furthermore, I must remind you that MECH is still a human organization and I still enforce the rule against harming humans of any kind. That being said, I want to keep the number of human casualties to a minimum. Do you all understand?"

All of the Autobots mentioned shouted in unison, "Yes sir!"

"Ratchet, prepare a groundbridge."

"Already done, Optimus." Ratchet pulled the switch next to the console and the groundbridge roared to life in a beautiful array of colors once again.

Optimus scanned his team like he did before every mission they went on. Each Autobot stared back at him with eager looks in their optics, silently waiting for him to give the word.

Bulkhead had smashed his fists together revealing his denta in an expression that said, 'Let's rumble!'

Bumblebee had pumped his arms up and down in one single fluid motion. He was feeling what humans called 'psyched.'

Wheeljack had cracked his Cybertronian version of knuckles one servo after the other. He began to stretch his arms and cracked several other joints around his frame.

Smokescreen had his arms crossed and seemed to be deep in thought. The racecar mech had also seemed uncharacteristically uneasy. Prime made a mental note about this and literally stored it in the back of his processor before letting his optics travel over to the last member of his assigned team.

Arcee. His spark hummed in pleasure every time her name came across him in any way physically or mentally. She had her servos placed on her hips as she leaned off to one side, putting the majority of her weight on one pede. She had a small smile on he face plate and she was stealing a glance at her charge. He felt himself let out a shaky sigh at the gorgeous sight of her. What was it about the royal blue femme that made him melt into goo on the inside? He couldn't resist the urge to let his optics wander over her frame. Primus it was perfect, from her pedes to her back struts, to her pink wrist blades, to her gorgeous light blue and lavender laced optics…to her _hips._

He stopped himself from gawking at her, for it was his duty as a prime to not reveal his emotions or show weakness while in the presence of his team nor at any time at all. This duty, along with many others and the wisdom of the primes, was seared into the main coding of his core processer.

He also eyed the four humans, four out of nearly seven million civilian humans who knew of their existence, who had sworn to secrecy and often brought about a sense of innocence, happiness, and most importantly hope to the Autobot base.

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**Plot Recount for newbies, feel free to skip.**

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It was one of these humans that he admired like a son. Jackson Darby reminded him of himself when he was Orion Pax. He was amazed at how quickly the onyx haired teenager had to mature after his father left and got employed at a local fast food business to help pay for he and his mother's financial troubles. He never minded taking extra responsibility, as long as he could make June happy. However, these extra jobs cost him the chance to live as a normal teenager. The only exception was when Smokescreen came along. Eager to hang out with a being that was more his type, the two of them had gone out and pulled some pranks, which was against the wishes of the other Autobots, especially Arcee. After almost getting himself killed as a result of uncharacteristically sneaking through the groundbridge with them, Jack returned to his original composed mature stature. He had learned his lesson that day.

Aside from that one time, it was because of this maturity, to he entrusted the key to Vector Sigma to him. The leader had also received many comments from the other Autobots about how Jack was there to pick up all the pieces when he himself had suffered temporary amnesia and joined the Decepticons as Orion Pax. Optimus let out a small grin as he watched Jack approach Arcee.

"Be careful out there partner." The raven teen playfully warned.

The second in command chuckled, "Since when haven't I been careful." There went his spark cackling madly once again at the blue femme just as it did every time a word would pass through her lips.

In an attempt to keep himself from swooning, Optimus shot a glance at Miko Nakadai. There were not enough words both on Cybertron and Earth to describe the young lady that stood or rather lounged in front of him. The Japanese exchange student was currently seated on the human couch balancing a sketchbook in one arm and tapping an HB pencil repeatedly against her chin. Every now and then she would glance up at her guardian, her eyes tracing every plate, every groove, and every outline of his massive body, before her eyes and the pencil in her hand would dart back down to the page. Within the flurry of flips and movements that roughly manipulated the tip and eraser, Bulkhead's form began to take shape on the paper.

Her talent didn't stop there; drawing was just a hobby. Miko preferred to play, or as she would say 'rock out', on her electric guitar, which as of a few weeks ago was banned from Autobot Outpost Omega 1 and anywhere within three miles of it, courtesy of Ratchet. Though it was loud, the other humans have implied that she is skilled at playing a style of music called heavy metal and it was supposed to sound that way. The pink highlighted girl was also far from shy; she had the kind of spirit that was to be admired. Unfortunately, it was that and her stubborn, spunky, and smart aleck personality that often got her in trouble and even put her in great danger at times, mostly during Autobot missions. But, aside from pissing off Ratchet to no end, Miko liveliness and constant chatter was a spirit lifter at the base and her quick thinking proving reliable at the most random of times.

Then, there was Rafael Esquivel. He was born into a large family and according to him; he was not noticed much among his siblings. However, he had practically devoted his entire life to technology and programming and that affected his grade greatly. His superior intelligence pushed him up a few grades. The young Hispanic was in high school when most children his age would be in middle school. The little genius even baffled Optimus with his amazing hacking skills, which had saved their afts on more than one occasion. Raf would often spend most of his time at base playing video games with the other humans or racing with his guardian Bumblebee. The rest of the time, he helps Ratchet fix and/or learn how to use the human technology at base.

At the moment, he was up on the balcony wishing good luck to the yellow scout who happily answered him in a series of clicks and chirps. As the only human who can understand Bumblebee, he also serves as a translator for the other humans. Anyone with eyes could see that Raf would grow up to be very successful in life. Unfortunately, this opportunity for a great future came at a great price.

Optimus' brows furrowed as he mulled over a subject often discussed amongst the other children. Vince, another one of their classmates and the school bully. According to the humans, the redhead picked on everyone, especially Raf, and possessed quite the record: associating with gangs, regular beatings, illegal street racing. The Autobots had gotten involved with the last one and Vince had nearly discovered their existence at the same time. The leader himself had to take special precautions to prevent the children's guardians from going to blow up the delinquent. Though Optimus hated the bully, as much as the next guy, his' don't hurt humans' rule would be enforced no matter what. That being said, Raf struggled sometimes, but all of the bots would be there to back him up.

Finally, there was June Darby. To sum her up in one sentence would involve using the words, kind, motherly, and overprotective. But no one could blame her. What would any single mother who's son had been keeping a huge secret from her do in a situation where an intergalactic war was involved. After all, her tale of discovering the Autobots was not a pleasant one. The fact that both MECH and Arcee's archenemy Arachnid had been involved at the same time only made it worse. The emergency room nurse had been kidnapped by MECH, which afterward she had been subject to Arachnid's thirst for bloodshed, and nearly fell victim along with her son. Arcee had made it just in time to stop the eight-legged freak from slitting their throats.

The Autobot leader mentally cringed at the history between the spider framed femme and his second in command. The now rogue had captured and mercilessly tortured Arcee for information back on Cybertron. In the end, Arcee's former partner Tailgate was brutally slaughtered before her very own eyes by Arachnid's hand. When the war was moved off planet, the spider femme had gone rogue, creating genocide and collecting the heads of endangered species. Since Arcee had escaped her clutches, the two had made mortal enemies of one another and ended up bringing both Jack and June into their violent rivalry.

Optimus sighed, certainly his team of Autobots human and Cybertronian had grown a lot as they overcame each and every curveball life threw at them. No one was to be underestimated. As he had said once before, they were small but they are strong. Each member had a very important role to play in the Autobot's war campaign. Everyone would do their best to support one another in their darkest hours. In a way, the occupants of Autobot Outpost Omega 1 were one big family. And no matter what, the Autobot commander would not let them down.

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**Plot Recount end **(Okay now that I got that out of the way, IT'S FIGHTIN TIME AGAIN!)

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The cobalt blue and crimson red semi mech turned to the groundbridge portal, basking in its warm green light before shouting his signature quote.

"Autobots. ROLL OUT!" All six members of the selected team sped off through the swirling lights, awaiting the scene of destruction, and the all too familiar sounds of gunfire to fill their audio receptors.

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_Groundbridge Coordinates-3__rd__ pov _(I haven't done many fight scenes so bear with me)

The sun baked on the red desert ground, the bright colors reflecting the hot rays, bouncing them back to hit and cauterize any life form that dared to set foot on the Nevada turf. Any plant life as far as the eye could see was set ablaze courtesy of the flying missiles and bullets that defaced the eroded earth. One deafening explosion after another shook the ground as a flock of jets shot through the blue sky. Each missile that was fired would miss their prey by mere inches, and each one would fuel the predators' love for destruction more and more.

A lone F-22 Raptor sped through the blazing landscape, its pilot eager to evade his pursuers. The government agent had suffered multiple close calls during this wild goose chase and was thankful for the several years of training he had received in the past. Agent William Fowler eyed the nearing canyons; a devious smirk spread across his face.

"Target locked Silas. This one won't miss." A pleased smile took form on the MECH leader's scarred face. If the Autobot government liaison were to perish in this skirmish, the cloud of guilt or blinded anger would make the aliens capture much easier. His evil voice ominously filled the cockpit in a foreshadowing tone,

"It was nice knowing you Agent Fowler. Fire!" In one quick movement, his subordinate flicked the cap off the clichéd red button that was placed at the tip of the steering controls. A sudden red light flashed as the button was pushed; a single missile shot out of the launcher with an ear-piercing shriek. Unfortunately for Silas, the F-22 Raptor made an unpredictable sharp turn; a loud boom followed by a brief shockwave shook the aircraft.

Clever move; the jet sped at the speed of sound towards the canyons. The twisting and winding passages accompanied by that powerful thrust would make it impossible to continue the pursuit with their target in their sights. However, Fowler wouldn't have that advantage for long. The last shot had managed to clip a small section of the empennage on the US military jet. As a bonus, Fowler would be unaware of the damage. His last move had backfired; the sonic boom had muffled the impact of the shot. Silas watched as a small trail of translucent yellow fluid spurted from a crack in the stealth aircraft's hull. A minor wound in comparison to the entire tail of the jet, but it would bleed. As the machine's life dropped to the sandy ground, MECH would be drawn to the scent trail like a pack of wolves in winter. They would come, and their prey would sing death's song. (Whoa, talk about detail for those last two sentences)

* * *

It had been about fifteen minutes when the MECH fleet happened upon the crash site of the late F-22 Raptor. Burnt scraps of chrome metal lay warped and shredded across the ground along the narrow cavern. The only part that gave any indication that a stealth aircraft had ever existed was the hull that had somehow remained intact at that end of the line of destruction created by the crash. The entire scene was shrouded in a thick blanket of smoke and crackling flames. A shower of sparkling embers continued to rain down upon the sight.

Silas's cruel laughter emanated throughout the fleet's radios. But soon the pilots were spawning looks of confusion when they heard their sadistic leader's chuckle abruptly cut off by a gasp of surprise. His scarred eye twitched several times.

"You have got to be kidding me," he muttered with his irritated eyes locked onto a specific point in the sky. His subordinate followed his gaze and he gritted his teeth together in annoyance. There was Agent William Fowler in all his glory as he slowly drifted towards the ground in his deployed parachute.

Silas was seething with fury at the luck of the African American agent but he kept his calm composure. He patched himself into the other MECH team in charge of the other bait.

Fowler was about forty feet from the ground.

"Shoot him down." Silas ordered.

Thirty feet from the ground.

In the distance, a battered vehicle transformed. A low hum sounded as an increasing amount of energy was charging up at the end of the barrel.

Twenty-five feet from the ground.

A solo energon blast zoomed through the air; it was aimed dead center at Agent Fowler.

Said agent braced himself for the searing heat to cook him from the inside out. A flurry of sounds mingled within the few seconds that followed. Those sounds belonged to an opening groundbridge, the blaring horn and engine belonging to a big rig, and finally the sounds of a Cybertronian undergoing the transformation from vehicle alt mode to bipedal mode.

Fowler found himself being wrenched out of the sky by a large metal hand he knew all too well. Optimus somersaulted before landing back on his pedes that screeched as they slid across the rock. The cobalt blue and crimson mech ran quickly for cover while carefully clutching Agent Fowler against his chassis to avoid having him being hit by the blast that whizzed right past his helm. He found shelter in a large crevice in the canyon wall. He shot a quick glance at his government liaison who looked back up at him with a dazed expression on his face.

"Are you unharmed Agent Fowler?" Fowler shook his head vigorously to clear up any dizziness before replying,

"Fit as a fiddle, Prime. I owe ya one, and before you say it, I'll remain here and contact Uncle Sam. You guys take care of Si."

"I wouldn't have it any other way Agent Fowler." Optimus replied as he deployed his facemask and energon blasters with a loud snap and headed off back into battle. Fowler took out his communicator to send for reinforcements. He paused with his finger hovering over the button on the device. His mind processed the events that took place merely a few moments ago when a troubling thought flooded his mind.

_Who fired the first shot?_

* * *

_Battleground in the canyon- Optimus' pov_

I left Agent Fowler to contact backup from the American army while I sprinted back towards the swarm of shots that were being fired by both my team and MECH. I aimed my blaster at one of the jets' wings and fired. The electric blue beam of energy crippled the wing and my spark beat returned to its normal pulse when I caught sight of the pilot ejecting from the cockpit of the spiraling plane.

Even though these humans were in my opinion the human version of the Decepticons, I could not prevent myself from feeling guilty whenever I would unintentionally take the life of any sentient being that inhabited this planet. As I continued to shoot down each aircraft in MECH's fleet, I took a moment to observe my team's progress. As commander, it was my duty to oversee my troops.

Bumblebee and Smokescreen were running along both edges of the cavern. As of now, I had no idea how in the name of Primus they got up there so quickly nor how they had even gotten up there at all. I was curious as to what they were planning. A flash of royal blue sped past.

Arcee.

She was being tailed in the air by two of Silas' jets and they were gaining on her. I growled inwardly and carefully raised my blaster. I had one of the jets dead center in my viewfinder. (See where I got that one) Suddenly, Bumblebee launched himself off the edge of the cliff and literally tackled the small aircraft. I lowered my arm and my optics widened in shock. The yellow Camaro made haste and plunged his servo into the jet, pulled out the pilot and tossed him aside. After that, he quickly jumped off and stuck a stylish landing at the precise moment the jet crashed into the ground in a fiery explosion.

I let out a small smirk behind my faceplate. I swear he did that for dramatic effect, typical Bumblebee. My optics diverted to Smokescreen as he pulled off a similar stunt, though not as graceful. Arcee pulled up to the duo and transformed. She let out a small chuckle at the sight of a cringing Smokescreen rubbing his aft which he landed on. I mentally slapped myself at the realization that it was all a setup courtesy of the trio. It was pleasing to know that the members of my team were fighting well alongside each other despite recent conflicts that would normally cloud their judgment.

Just then, several cars were approached, each one with MECH's logo branded on their hoods. The four of us quickly took aim, but just as Bumblebee interrupted me in the middle of my shot, all four of us were interrupted by the former wreckers.

Both Bulkhead and Wheeljack roughly rammed into Silas' troops on the ground, some of which were flipped over by the head on collision. Smokescreen then patched into the comm. link,

"You guys need any help?"

This was his reply, **"Wreckers don't call for backup…"** Wheeljack retorted.

**"They call for cleanup!" **Bulkhead finished his partner's sentence while crashing into another MECH car.

Due to their thicker armor, both wreckers escaped without so much as a dent. The two then transformed, high-fived, and regrouped with the rest of us. There was only one plane left, the one that belonged to the terrorist leader himself. What caught me off-guard was the plane itself. Its wings were equipped with a pair of shielded turbines, which allowed the machine to hang precariously in the air. A stolen military piece no doubt.

I narrowed my optics and took aim; the rest of my team followed suit.

"This is your last chance to surrender peacefully Silas." I warned.

Silas's voice resonated from the speakers of the hovering aircraft. "You know very well Optimus Prime, that I am not one to give up so easily. On the contrary, everything is going according to plan perfectly." Suddenly, the undercarriage of the hovercraft opened slowly, and from it came a large metal structure. Said structure resembled a two pointed fork mounted on an aircraft turret.

"What do you think that thing does?" Bumblebee chirped worriedly. I was lost for words; never before during my time as a prime had I come across such a weapon on Cybertron or Earth. Frankly, I couldn't comprehend that the human race could ever construct something that advanced during their current technological era. Yet, here it was and we would have to deal with it.

An intricate web of electrical sparks danced between the two metal spikes. They were accompanied by a humming crescendo as the energy began to build. By instinct, I called out, "EVACUATE, NOW!" Without a word, everyone, myself included found themselves back in their vehicular alt modes. My processor racked as I quickly scanned for a possible escape route.

This wasn't like the incident with Breakdown's optic that was rigged to explode. In that case, we just needed to get as far as possible away from the explosives. But right now, that was not an option. There was no way to find out the weapon's firing range and therefore it was too risky. However, the weapon and the aircraft itself were massive, we could manage to evade the targeting systems if we drove directly under them.

Switching to maximum overdrive, I lead the Autobots under Silas just as the weapon fired. A blinding red light blasted from the twin spikes, the force of the shot sending the hovercraft back before it regained its balance. We remained under the MECH aircraft the entire time.

I became confused when Silas made no attempt to refocus the targeting systems on us, but rather remained hovered over us as a continuous gust of air and dust buffeted our frames. I began to wonder whether Silas thought we existed anymore, and was unaware of our presence. This brought on an ominous thought that perhaps the weapon was designed to evaporate us into thin air. I received several mortified yet confused looks as if that exact foreboding idea had passed through their CPUs as well.

Nevertheless, we maintained our cover. But I just knew that our cover would not last long.

I was not the least bit surprised when Smokescreen hollered at the top of his vocal processor, "HEY SQUISHIE! YOU MISSED!" He earned a whack on the helm and an 'Are you out of your neural net?' glare from Arcee.

Silas's sly voice echoed through the canyon, "Now young rookie, what makes you think I was aiming at you?"

I stiffened and slowly turned in the direction of the fired shot. Lying in a smoldering crater not more than a hundred meters behind from where we once stood was the motionless body of a Cybertronian mech.

Bulkhead dawned a horrified expression, "The unidentified Cybertronian signal," he uttered under his vent. My spark painfully lurched with guilt. Without thinking twice, we rushed over to the mech while I quickly contacted Ratchet at base with my comm. link.

"Ratchet! We are in need of immediate on sight medical assistance!"

The medic's gruff voice sounded on the other end, **"Optimus! Who is injured?"**

"The owner of the unidentified signal, Silas shot him with a new weapon I cannot identify."

**"Listen to me Optimus, I'm on my way. But until I get there, do not touch him and don't let the others touch him until I can see how severe his wounds are." **Ratchet instructed.

"I understand." The comm. link was disconnected.

* * *

_Autobot Outpost Omega 1-3__rd__ pov_

Ratchet deactivated the comm. link while keeping a lock on his signal. The humans only stared as he rushed towards the med bay at a speed that should be logically impossible for someone at his age should be able to achieve. He came back with his medical kit in servo and rushed towards the monitor to briefly check the Autobot spark signatures.

He turned to the humans, "Raf, I need you to operate the groundbridge. June, your in charge." The Hispanic teen only nodded before running over to the human sized groundbridge controls.

Jack took this as a chance to intervene, "Ratchet, why are they calling you to the field when they could just bring the bot here?"

June also butted in, "Is something different about this case that has gotten you so stressed?"

The medic released a quick ex-vent before answering worriedly, "They can't bring the bot here since Optimus requested me for on sight medical assistance." Miko piped up,

"So what's wrong with that?" Ratchet shot a quick glance at her before nodding to Raf, who activated the groundbridge.

He stood facing the portal; "I haven't been assigned to an on sight job since my time as a field medic back on Cybertron during the Great War." June walked up to the ledge of the balcony,

"Be careful Ratchet." He slowly turned to face her and gave her an extremely rare smile before transforming into his ambulance alt mode and driving through the portal.

* * *

Almost five minutes passed when suddenly Raf almost had a panic attack. Jack was the one to calm him down,

"Raf! What's wrong?"

"Did something happen to the bots?" Miko asked him, her brown eyes filling up to the brim with anxiety. The wiz kid took a few deep breaths when he suddenly turned back towards the monitor and began furiously typing on the keyboard.

"The groundbridge isn't responding. Something's jamming it and I can't regain control!"

All of a sudden, he stopped, his small hands slowly slipped off the keyboard before they fell and hung limp at his sides. His eyes were wide as realization dawned him. "Unbelievable," he whispered.

June walked up to him in concern, "Raf?" She turned to see that Jack and Miko had pulled the exact same stunt.

The Japanese girl's head drooped, "It's almost as if…"

"No." Jack cut her off immediately, his eyes ablaze with a mixture of all sorts of emotions. "No, he did. That sick heathen actually did it."

June's motherly instincts kicked and she began to really worry now. "Who? What are you talking about, Jack. What did he do? Answer me!" She had pulled off her famous 'NOW!' voice during her frantic string of questions. But Jack remained unaffected in his motionless state.

After what seemed like forever, he finally whispered so quietly that it was almost inaudible to the human ear, "Silas. He _planned _this from the very beginning." He paused when he slammed a raging fist on the console. The resulting sound could be heard all throughout the silo, causing everyone to flinch in shock.

"JACK!" his mother scolded him harshly. Miko and Raf had to do a double take; Jack's body was trembling. He slowly looked back up to the main computer screen with angered eyes that were so intimidating that even Megatron would be shrink back in defense. Even with all of these emotions alarmingly radiating off his body, he somehow was able to speak calmly through his gritted teeth. But it was easy to see that he was unsuccessfully trying to hold back the fact that he was seething with fury, discovering a newfound hatred against Silas Bishop.

"And we fell for it." a small tear slithered down his red boiling cheek and onto the tip of his chin. It seemed to hang there forever before the salty drop fell and splashed against the cold, hard metal floor.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

* * *

_ Battleground in the canyon- Optimus' pov_

I looked up from the mech's body to see our groundbridge open up with Ratchet speeding out of it. He stopped and transformed in front of us before kneeling down before the mech. He set his med kit aside; one look from his optics was all I needed to see before I helped him flip the Cybertronian over. Several gasps erupted from the group.

"Breakdown." I muttered as I stared at Bulkhead's rival.

We watched our medic examine Breakdown for several minutes in total silence. Bulkhead was the first to break it, "Why would old hammer head want to tangle with MECH, especially after he did time as their personal lab rat?"

Ratchet slowly stood up with his medical kit. He let out a long ex-vent, "He didn't have a choice in the matter. In fact, Breakdown has been dead for quite some time."

"That's not possible!" Wheeljack exclaimed. I decided to intervene,

"Ratchet, if what you say is true, then how is it possible that he could emit a neutral signal?" Ratchet kneeled down once again and opened up Breakdown's chest plates. From there, he pulled out a small device.

"It wasn't his own signal, but merely a radio signal that has been manipulated to resemble that of a Cybertronian. His movements were also remote controlled on the same frequenc- oh no!" the chief medic's optics widened as he immediately stood up.

"Ratchet, what's wrong?" I asked him in concern. He didn't answer, instead he frantically tried to contact base.

"Rafael! We need an emergency groundbridge now! It was a trap!"

(: Me- Ha! I told you! : Ratchet- Just shut up, Alari!)

I immediately swerved around to find Silas's hovercraft nowhere in sight.

"Scrap! Comm. link is jammed." Ratchet growled irritably.

We all jumped when three blasts of electricity shot up from all sides and conveyed in the sky.

"A force field." I inferred with a dark tone.

Once again, Silas's sly voice resonated from the aircraft that I found floating above the force field and us. "It was just as I said Optimus Prime. Everything has gone according to plan. Better savor the moment out here, because this will be the last time you'll ever see the light of day." I could almost see him curling his lips into an evil smirk as he beamed down upon us in triumph.

My mind flashed back to the time that Arcee and I were stranded in the Arctic during a blizzard due to a scraplet infestation that was taking place at AOO1.

_Flashback starts:_

_All I could feel was cold, a coldness that threatened to penetrate every inch of my metal frame, which would freeze me solid after I became lifeless. Though it could have been worse. I was cold, but not alone. I lay in the ever-growing snow, my arms and legs were sprawled out and I had begun to lose feeling in those areas. Arcee laid in a similar position to my right; her helm was only a few inches away from my chassis. _

_As of now, her just being here was the only thing keeping me alive. Not that that mattered to me, I was caught in the middle of a battle between my own selfish needs and my thoughts on Arcee's needs. Part of me always wanted her near me including now. But the other half didn't want her here solely because we would both would die here in this frigid white wasteland, destined to become just another two permanently frozen mounds of ice to add to the thousands already in place if help didn't come soon. But she was here, and I made sure to make the most of this terrible situation. _

_I briefly considered confessing my feelings to the blue and pink femme. I had had so many chances before, but I would always stall in hopes that the war would end. But this would not be the case now. I had to do it now, before I made the mistake of missing out on what few romantic moments I would have with Arcee. __I looked down at her. Her royal blue and pale pink armor plates had received a messy white tint, her lavender and blue optics shined just the same. _I was about to speak, but my crush interrupted me.

_ "You know the worst part? After battling Cons all these years, getting smacked down, shot at, blown up, kidnapped, tortured, this is how our lights go out?" she asked in disbelief. I inwardly chuckled at the memories that we had all spent together before becoming serious again, _

_"Arcee, this may not be the finish we had planned. But if this is indeed the end, if we become one with the Allspark-." _

_Flashback ends._

Just as that one time in the Arctic, I felt the familiar soft feeling of Arcee's small servo rest itself in the palm of my much larger servo. I realized that while I was occupied with my own thoughts, the other Autobots had pressed in closer to me. To me, this was undoubtedly awkward on so many levels. Gazing over my team, my optics then did a clean sweep of the area. A soft gasp left my mouth plates. My optics swerved madly around us. The force field was shrinking.

The crackling electronic pulse grew louder and louder, and more and more we pressed in together. My spark was pounding against my chassis harder than it had when I was in the presence of Unicron's very spark chamber. Six pairs of optics locked with mine, each pair pleading that I might have some sort of plan of escape.

I had never felt so ashamed. I had let my team down. I looked down at my second in command with sorrow seeping from my own regal blue optics when her grip on my servo tightened.

A shaky ex-vent exited her shuddering frame as she spoke, "It has been an honor serving with you, Optimus Prime." It wasn't the amount of emotion in this statement that shocked me. It was the fact that this was exactly what Arcee had said to me before passing out completely in the Arctic. I gave her a small rare grin before turning to the rest of my team.

"Autobots, we have come far during our time on this planet. Though we are few in number, we have accomplished tasks that entire battalions have attempted and failed. We have also suffered much as well. We have experienced great loss, received many life-threatening injuries, and have even been tortured to our 'wit's end'. However, in the wake of these troubles have come great miracles, everlasting friendships, and a bond so unbreakable that not even Unicron himself could rupture it. I stand before you now to say that I have been blessed by Primus himself with the best team any Prime could ask for. There are no words to express how proud I am of each and every one of you, not to mention our human allies. To conclude, it has truly been an honor to fight for what we believe in alongside each of you. I do not know what will become of us in MECH's hands, nor do I wish to dwell on the matter. Instead I wish to say-." The high voltage dome was nearing a few inches of my frame.

"Till all are one."

Pure unspeakable pain, then the darkness swallowed me whole.

* * *

_MECH's secret laboratory- Location: Unknown, Time: Unknown-Optimus pov._

Beep beep. Commencing internal diagnostics:

Spark pulse: Stable

Energon Levels: 87%

Internal Body Temperature: Stable

Internal Systems: Online

Sensory Systems: Online

System Mobility: Offline

Weapons Systems: Offline

Functioning capacity: 65%

Activating Systems…

Darkness closes in around me; it's strange. When a Cybertronian onlines or offlines, there is no middle level of grogginess as the humans stated once. Yet, here I am, fully aware of my body becoming conscious. I immediately assumed the worst,

'_Where am I? This can't be the Well of Allsparks, for there is nothing but blackness that surrounds me.' _

A sudden searing pain ripped through my body. Nope, I'm definitely still alive. In fact, I can hear faint, muffled voices in the background. Soon, the sound of Arcee's pain filled scream causes my optics to snap open; a blinding light replaced the infinite darkness. After my optics re-adjusted, I found my body strapped to a concrete wall by the wrists, ankles, my abdomen, and my neck. A faint trickle of blue energon dripped from my mouth plates and from a mass of small injuries courtesy of MECH's prowling utensils. I swerved my helm to my right side and my optics were filled with horror.

I was trapped within a translucent cell that was lined up with six others. Some sort of IV was bound into my right wrist and was connected to a large metal pipe that extended through all seven cells and eventually connected to a giant steel vat. A tremendously low feral sound I didn't know I could make resonated from my vocal processor when my optics fell upon the figure in the cell to the right of me.

It was the love of my life, Arcee. I felt a deep rage start to build up within my spark at the sight of her condition. She was literally ripped open; dents and scrapes covered her entire body. I took note of a particular mark that lay across her beautiful left optic. She also had an IV connected to her right wrist. I flinched when she lifted her helm and made eye contact with me with her one remaining optic. In all of my life, I had always known my second in command as extraordinarily fearless and calm most of the time. But now, her faceplate displayed a look of true undeniable fear. Dirty blue stains covered her cheekplates; she had been crying.

Arcee suddenly turned her helm away from me and peered down the rest of the cells. I realized that every single member of the Autobots were being displayed just as we were in these despicable jails. On the other side of the glass, I could see dozens of MECH scientists scurrying about the room, tampering with a multitude of control panels and levers. From the ceiling hung multiple robotic surgical tools at which I shuddered at the sight of. As if things couldn't honestly get worse, they did.

"Enjoying the restraints?" Seven helms jerked in the exact direction of the sadistic voice.

There he was; Silas Bishop, leader of the terrorist organization called MECH, was shooting daggers at me. He was standing on a rising platform with a deranged smirk planted on his face. I tried to speak but the neck restraint had started beeping and I ended up having two thousand plus volts rippling through my body. I could only grit my denta and glare hatefully at his scarred face when he got up right in my faceplate.

"I hope you enjoy your stay Autobots; it is my pleasure to welcome you to 'Project Domesticus.'"

* * *

**Ooooh Cliffhanger! Holy crap, 30 pages! That's a new record. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I can officially tell you that there will not be a chapter as long as this one. It'll probably also be about 1-2 chapters before anything really funny happens, so stay tuned. And please check out my other story Wings of Pyrus. As of now, I will begin an updating schedule that involves switching from Wings of Pyrus to Every Bot has its Day for every update. As I said before I'm open to any suggestions you have about improving either story. So, please review, favorite, and follow. Thanks again**

**WingedWolfAlari out.**

**(April 4th update: I fixed the chapter, I hope its easier to read for you guys.)**


	2. Ch 2 A Spark of Hope

**Hello Readers! I'm back with another chapter of Every Bot has It's Day. I'm sorry it took so long. I suffered for who knows how long from a severe case of writer's block with my other story Wings of Pyrus. Now that I have finally updated it, I can continue with this story. Like I said the last time, this chapter will have little to no humor at all. It's actually really, really sad. It's also much, much shorter. Rated T for blood and cussing. If anyone has any suggestions at all for future chapters, I'm all ears.**

**I still need to figure out how to incorporate the cons, I'm still open to any suggestions you have. Now let's get this party started.**

**Disclaimer-Check the first chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 2: A Spark of Hope

* * *

_One month later…_

_US Military Headquarters- Fowler's pov_

I sighed, shuffling a short stack of paperwork in my hands. I swear if I could travel back in time, I would murder the wise guy who thought paperwork was a good idea. I took the stack and flipped through it, the tip of my thumb grazing against each white, word stained page. I shook my head and sighed again, General Bryce is gonna be pissed. In my shaking hands I held a report that would cover the bots' disappearance courtesy of the slimy hands of that hell spawn organization.

For the third time I sighed and slowly closed my eyes. I began that daily process once again. _How could this have happened? Am I to blame for this? What could I have done differently to prevent this? What could I have done to keep those poor children from this trauma? Why did this happen? How could I have let this happen? Why didn't I do anything to stop it?_

_Will they be alright? _A deep sense of pure worry erupted within me. _What will Bishop do to them? Will they survive? Will I ever see them again? Or are they already—_

"No." I forbade myself from ever reaching that point. They're still alive; I know they're still alive. And if they have anything to say about it they won't die. I looked up at the plain colorless ceiling; a few stray drops of salty water began to cloud my vision. Instinctively, my mind wandered back to the previous questions that were persistent in repeating themselves over and over. If this continued, I may as well require a leave of absence.

Still, I couldn't help but replay that sickening scene once again.

* * *

_Flashback start:_

_ 'Who fired the first shot?' I mouthed those words silently, my lips worked around each syllable as if I was eating a food that I had never tried before. I knew that MECH had accomplished a lot ever since the bots entered the picture. The incidents with that captured Con and 'Nemesis Prime' as Miko dubbed it were proof of just that. _

_However, in all of the reports that I had received from Prime, MECH hadn't had Cybertronian tech in their hands long enough to reverse engineer any of it, primarily because they had focused on the 'biological' aspects of Cybertronians, which couldn't be recreated. Not to mention that Prime's doppelganger was now spare parts, nothing was left behind for MECH to retrieve. _

_ I furiously shook my head, it just didn't add up, I sighed. I would have to consult with Prime about that later. My thoughts were interrupted, no, more like paralyzed when a fierce BOOM followed by a strong tremor shook the ground beneath me. My head snapped towards the newly formed large, smoldering crater at the base of the strait. A billowing cloud of pitch-black smoke and ash arose from the hole. _

_I didn't even move an inch just to pick up my jaw. My eyes were the only organs capable of any movement at all at this point. And with that my mesmerized gaze drifted to the dual pronged weapon that remained mounted under Bishop's hovercraft. A small, soft series of sparks crackled in between the prongs. _

"_That's just not possible!" I slowly uttered barely at an audible level. Not just my, nor the US', but the entire world's safety had just been jeopardized by the reveal of this new weapon. My eyes drifted once again to the crater, where the ash and smoke began to fade. Sheer terror enveloped my very being at the glimpse of the blue crumpled armor that filled the crater. _

"_No." I whispered as I bowed by head. Silence. "HEY SQUISHIE! YOU MISSED!" My head shot up instantly. Could it be? I dared to look in the direction of the taunt and sighed with relief. All six Autobots had quickly taken cover under Silas' hovercraft, and by the looks of it, they hadn't received so much as a dent. I chuckled at the sight of the Smokey rubbing his helm while warily glancing at a peeved motorbike. _

_Suddenly, my actual job smacked me back to attention like a bullwhip. I promptly took up my radio and switched it on. Little did I know that Ratchet for some reason had groundbridged to the battlefield while I was doing so. I held my device to my ear and activated the signal. I grunted in discomfort as I was nearly deafened by a butt load of static that I had received on the other end. Uncle Sam wouldn't be coming any time soon; all frequencies had been successfully jammed. And that only meant one thing._

"_A trap! That no good little-" 'CRACK!' "-What the hell was that?" A large continuous string of electricity sprung up in the distance. 'CRACK CRACK!' Two more beams of energy rocketed into the sky from two other locations. Each tower hummed and buzzed as if in anticipation. If one were to connect the dots from a bird's eye view, one would create a triangle. The three columns of life met with another series of violent cracks and pops as the gentle hum began to grow louder and louder._

_One of the beams had sprung up just above where I was standing. Following the white jagged string downward, I found my pot at the end of the rainbow. The device stood on a sharp rock ledge a few meters in front of me. The device itself was about half my size with a series of rotating prongs from within each energy was created. The machine was also hovering a few feet off the ground. _

_Why would Silas have hover tech installed in those things? The device suddenly began to float forwards, shrinking the electric dome and thus answering my question. But that didn't answer the next several I had. What was this thing, and what is its purpose?_

_The device started to pick up the pace, and was soon traveling at a speed of at least five to ten miles an hour. The dome had begun to spin and shrink at the same time, like a snarling pack of predators closing in on their doomed prey. As if this situation couldn't get any weirder, it didn't. Instead, it became terrifying. My eyes had fixed on the soon-to-be victims of MECH, who had all pressed in closer to their leader. _

_Each pair of optics darted around this way and that, seeking an escape that never would exist. Soon, twelve glowing blue orbs came to rest on two; and those two could only stare back with regret. Optimus Prime turned his helm to the rapidly decreasing force field, then back to his nervous faction. He sighed deeply before softly launching into a monologue that if recorded, would have as much historical significance as the speech delivered to those of the Alamo before it collapsed._

"_Autobots, we have come far during our time on this planet. Though we are few in number, we have accomplished tasks that entire battalions have attempted and failed. We have also suffered much as well. We have experienced great loss, received many life-threatening injuries, and have even been tortured to our 'wit's end'. However, in the wake of these troubles have come great miracles, everlasting friendships, and a bond so unbreakable that not even Unicron himself could rupture it. I stand before you now to say that I have been blessed by Primus himself with the best team any Prime could ask for. There are no words to express how proud I am of each and every one of you, not to mention our human allies. To conclude, it has truly been an honor to fight for what we believe in alongside each of you. I do not know what will become of us in MECH's hands, nor do I wish to dwell on the matter. Instead I wish to say—Till all are one."_

_I just couldn't bear to see what I knew what would happen next. So, I slowly closed my eyes, and turned away. Tears flooded my sockets as each pain-filled alien screech clashed with my eardrums. Each was followed by a sickening metallic crash and finally the humming died down. Before you could say 'no', they were gone. The hovercraft, the devices, the body in the crater, the bots; all gone._

_Flashback end._

* * *

My guilty subconscious drifted to my arrival at the Autobot Outpost Omega One, the sad fantasy I had conjured of the kids' reactions to the event, and finally, the scary similar reality. One look from June was all I needed to infer that the children had long since discovered the fate of our planet's saviors.

Raf wouldn't stop sobbing. His face lay buried in June's now slightly tear soaked chest as she rocked him back and forth in her lap in a motherly fashion. One of her soft hands gently and repeatedly stroked his messy chestnut hair. The boy genius' glasses lied beside the pair. They sat quietly on the kid's now closed laptop. June continued to rock and stroke him, keeping a calm face. However, it wouldn't take a brainiac to see that she had been shedding tears as well. When Raf began to relax a little, the nurse caringly cooed to him,

"Shhh, everything's going to be alright Raf, I promise. And if Bee were here, he would want you to be strong, wouldn't he?" The young freshman softly cried out the goldenrod scout's name before bursting into more salty tears. This continued for at least an hour when the emotionally exhausted boy had fallen asleep in the nurse's lap.

Miko Nakadai faced a similar reaction, however instead of June, it was Jack who had tried to comfort her instantly. The two teens were sitting on the couch when I arrived. The usual excitement in the girl's brown eyes had disappeared completely, and was instead replaced by a dull sense of depression. She had rested her head against the raven senior's neck and her fingers were intertwined with his gray over shirt. The exchange student's chest rose and fell at an uneven pace while she attempted to hold back her sobs. All the while, Jack held her at an embrace. Like his mother, one of his hands was wrapped around the girl's head, the other around her shoulders.

I found it peculiar that Jack seemed to be the most level headed human being in the room. After all, during his and the other children's time with the Autobots, they had formed very strong bonds with the Cybertronians. Arcee was like an older sister to him as Bumblebee and Bulkhead were like older brothers to Raf and Miko. Nevertheless, he remained composed, and never dared to move a muscle until Miko was fast asleep along with Raf and June.

The onyx haired teen carefully laid Miko down onto the couch and covered her with a blanket before slowly standing up and walking towards the still active monitor. He leaned on the edge of the console, supported on his elbows. What he did next surprised me. He lifted his right arm up and pinched the bridge on his nose with his right thumb and index finger, exactly like Prime would. And with that he let out a pregnant sigh as I rested my own hand on his left shoulder. We remained like that for a while until I quietly spoke so the others wouldn't wake up,

"I'm impressed with your behavior Jack, and I regret saying this but I'm also surprised that you aren't crying as well." I halfway expected him to cry right then, but he didn't. Instead, he answered in a calm and collected voice,

"Someone has to remain strong for them." He turned to look at his mother and his two best friends. "Besides, there's no use for me to lose control of my emotions because of this." I was absolutely astonished by his answer.

"And why is that?" He then sat down and removed his gaze from the sleeping humans and locked his silver eyes with mine. A barely recognizable grin formed on his face.

"Because of what I've learned from the bots; to keep moving forward and to remain strong, to accept the good and the bad in life, and learn to keep the past from harming us while in the present… I know in here-" Jack moved his hand and poked the center of his chest, over his beating heart. "-that they will do the same, and that they are still alive." I remained silent and in awe, letting the senior's inspiring words flow through my mind. "We will see them again, and until that happens we need to have faith in them, and hope; because that's all we can do. After all, a single spark of hope-"

"-can have a great impact on a miracle." I finished the sentence that I had heard not over a month ago and memorized. With a new fire lit in my eyes, I finally gathered the report and sealed it within a large sand colored envelope. As I began to exit my office, I glanced out the window at the grey and gloomy sky. There had been a bad storm plaguing the area for the past several weeks or so, which was very abnormal in Jasper. But then again, I was involved in an alien war, what isn't abnormal nowadays.

Just then, the forever rough and ugly clouds began to spread apart, which released the first rays of beautiful sunshine that the area had had in what seemed like ages. I smiled; this had to be a good sign. "Hang in there guys. Never give up, because neither will we." I turned away from the window and walked out of my office, allowing the creaking door to slowly close behind me.

* * *

**OMG, finally! I am so so so so sorry for how long it took to update. But it's up now. I'm thinking about going off my schedule just this once to add another chapter to this story not only to balance the number of chapters in both of my stories, but also because the next chapter is when it gets REALLY GOOD and I am dying to write it. This chapter is probably the saddest thing I have ever written. But, it won't be like this next time. **

**I have a new Deviantart account, YAY! My username is of course WingedWolfAlari. So check it out since I have just started using Photoshop in my art.**

**Please review, fav, and follow! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, see you next time. –WingedWolfAlari out.**


	3. Ch 3 First Lost, Then Found

**Hello Readers! WingedWolfAlari here, and I'm back again with another chapter and I am in it to WIN IT. I understand that not many people continue on to the second chapter primarily because the first chapter was a total FAIL!**

**After receiving some good advice from a follower, I have fixed the first chapter so it is easier to read. If anyone has something to say that will make the story more enjoyable, please tell me in a review. I will accept suggestions. In about two or three chapters I'll need your guys' help, BTW. Last serious chapter, it's a fact. I'm sick of negative and serious. I'm ready for drop dead hilarious, aren't you? **

**Hint for this chapter: it begins with an O and ends with a C. **

**Now, let's make some miracles happen.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

* * *

Chapter 3: First Lost, Then Found

_Location Unknown, Optimus' pov_

I am alone. My vision is blurred. All I can see are the shadows, and I find myself stumbling through unknown territory. Pangs of unfamiliarity shoot up my arms and legs up to my spinal cord as each limb touched the cold gravel littered on the floor. I know deep within my spark that something is terribly wrong. Billions of peculiar sensations pound my CPU whenever I intake. Nothing seems to make sense anymore.

My mouth hung open while I was what humans would call, 'panting.' For some reason, I unconsciously allowed my glossa to overflow and suspend over the border of my lower jaw. It lightly bounced in harmony with my bobbing head and uncoordinated footsteps. I could feel alien organs within me expand and deflate, causing my chest to stretch and relax in sync. I was well aware that organics had lungs that recycled air as they would breath, but the idea that I now had my own pair…it scared me; and that almost _never _happens.

I feel… different, for lack of a better word. It's as if I'm crawling, but I'm not. My 'hands' are touching the ground, but my knees don't. Instead, my feet touch the ground, and it doesn't feel unnatural to be in such a position. Cybertronian anatomy is similar to humanoid anatomy, meaning that our legs are longer than our arms. However, this wasn't the case this time. Not to mention that I still had not regained feeling in my fingers, in fact, it was as if they never existed.

I didn't only lose some of my attachments; I gained some new ones as well. For example, I had been feeling some particular sensations in some appendages that would be located where my tail pipe and audio receptors would be.

Could it be… no, that's insane. I-it's not possible that one day you're walking upright, and the next, you possess a swishing tail and twitching ears. I must finally be going off the deep end.

In addition to these, 'unnatural yet natural' changes, I was covered from head to toe in a hoard of strange thin wires that were attached… to my _SKIN_! My spark is now pounding twice as fast and harder with every step as I begin to panic. I manage to gain some physical control of my body and slowly pad to a stop. My knees and hips buckled, and I suddenly felt comfortable sitting on my haunches.

I noticed a small puddle of water at my feet. So, I lowered my head to peer into the liquid. Despite the fuzziness and darkness that fogged up my vision, I was able to make out the colors of my helm, and a particularly large black splotch that was anchored to the center of my face.

There goes my last shred of sanity.

_WHAT THE FRAG HAPPENED TO ME?!_

* * *

_Several blocks away from Darby residence, 8;24 PM, Jack pov_

I slowly ambled down the sidewalk. The sky sparkled with hundreds of bright stars, the ground and everything on it was bathed in the moon's soft white light.

I passed by several of my neighbors' houses, glancing in every direction in order to take in the little details that most would often ignore. A lot of women in my neighborhood had the tendency to create gardens that thrived in the heat of the Nevada summer. Each one I walked past seemed to be curled up in slumber, each of the plants despising and shunning the moon's rays. Their silence was filled with the orchestra provided by the creatures of the night.

Dozens of insects sang out into the evening. The crickets chirped and the cicadas buzzed. Several coyotes yowled in the distance. I also picked up the occasional screech of the burrowing owl that lived nearby. These sounds coupled with the whistling evening breeze created a serene harmony that was pleasing to the ear.

It was one of the few things I enjoyed about Jasper. It was also one of Arcee's.

My head turned up to face the full glare of the moon. I sighed as a mental image of my missing partner took shape in my mind.

"I haven't given up yet Cee, keep holding on."

The wind suddenly blasted my body, and I was quick to shield my face with my hands. A few stray drops of water fell on my face, and I turned to see a blanket of black clouds rolling over the stars. The scene was suddenly blinded for a fraction of a second by a thick string of lightning that touched the ground about quarter of a mile from where I was standing. I covered my ears in an attempt to muffle the clash of thunder that threatened to deafen me.

I immediately started running, making a beeline for my house. I ran for about five minutes, not slowing down for even a second.

Soon, I was greeted with the welcoming sight of my driveway. Without a second thought, I bolted up the path; manually opened the garage door to the point where I could duck underneath it, slipped through, and promptly slammed it down behind me with a loud bang.

I wasted no time in locking all of the windows and doors on the premises.

"Helicopter mom may go overboard sometimes, but you can't blame her for not planning ahead for impossible natural events," I muttered to myself.

I winced as I noted that Mom would definitely need a check up call because of this. So, I heading upstairs to my room and took out my phone from my pocket.

I had already pulled her up in my contacts when I pulled up my window blinds in order to fully assess the storm. The rainfall was so severe that it was as if the raindrops themselves had gotten together and were endlessly bombarding the glass, making it nearly impossible to see the street.

"Damn, this is one hell of a storm. Nevada isn't supposed to get this kind of weather, and this is the second time this month. I hope that the phones are still working," I once again muttered to myself as I glanced down at my phone's screen, which currently displayed Mom's caller ID written out in pixels.

_Wait! What was that?_ I quickly turned to search through the window and set my phone face down on the bedside table next to me, completely forgetting about Mom's check up call.

In the corner of my eye, I could have sworn that I saw something in my front yard. I stared intently into the pitch-blackness at the spot where I was sure I saw it. A bolt of lightening lit the sky, and I gasped at the sight of two large motionless shadows that lay sprawled out over the lawn.

I found myself standing in front of the front door to my home, completely clueless as to how I had gotten down here so fast. I flicked the front lights on and peered through a nearby window. The light was pale, but sure enough, the two figures were still there, limp.

Were they dead? No, it just didn't seem possible.

I reached into a nearby closet, pulling out a thick coat and a first-aid kit. I sat the kit at the base of the doorframe. Then, I draped the coat over my back, pulling my arms one by one through the heavy sleeves. After zipping the coat shut, I pulled the hoodie over my head.

Slowly, I unlocked and creaked the door roughly a third of the way open. A cascade of large droplets pelted the floor inside, but I took no notice.

Hesitantly, I called out to the shadows, "Hello? Are you okay? Is anyone out there?" No answer.

Opening up the door a little more, I eased my body into the storm's rage; I called a little louder, "Hello? Please, if you can hear me, then please answer me!" Still no answer.

Eager to escape a shower I didn't need, I sprinted over to the two figures, kneeling down to try to get a better look at them. Each body was caked in mud and filth, which spread from the tips of their snouts, to all four of their legs, and the tips of their tails.

I carefully reached down to one of them, getting a good grip on its muzzle. I then lifted its head upward and pressed two of my fingers on my other hand against the base of its neck.

I reared back in fear when the creature suddenly squirmed in grip; its panic filled eyes snapped open. It let out a series of frightened yelps as it struggled to get to its paws in vain.

Instinctively, I pinned the animal back down to the muddy ground, prompting a screech of terror at the rough handling. It continued to struggle with a new found strength, yet I continued to hold on. Soon enough I could feel the creature's muscles start to spasm, and it cried out in pain. I shifted my weight in order to keep it pinned, and moved my hand and clamped it over the animal's jaws. After forcing it's head to the ground along with the rest of its body, my spirit sank as I knew how much pain it was in, and how much more harm it would do to itself if it continued to fight.

"Shhh, calm down girl. It's okay sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you." I softly cooed into her ear while stroking her face with my thumb.

How or why I called the animal "girl" and "sweetie" was completely beyond me. Perhaps it was because of Mom, how embarrassing. Miko would never hear the end of this.

But, it worked. The animal immediately froze, except for her muscles that continued to painfully warp uncontrollably. I found myself locking my silver-blue eyes with her violet-laced blue, which seemed to glow.

There were little to no words to describe the amount of emotion that poured from those eyes; panic, fear, uncertainty, pain, pressure. And yet, recognition, hope, joy, relief, and a feeling of safety flowed from them just the same. The animal took a long deep breath and closed her eyes, relaxing as much as she could under my touch.

Slowly, I retreated my hands from her form before quickly removing my coat and draping it over her, wrapping it around her carefully like a cocoon regardless of the stinging rain.

I then moved over to her companion. For some reason I assumed it was a male while I got a good grip on his body. Unlike the female, he didn't respond, which worried me deeply. I sighed with relief when I found his pulse.

A sudden crack of thunder and lightning snapped me back to our situation. Quickly, I scooped up the female and dashed into the house with her in my arms. I set her down onto the living room carpet before braving the storm again and returning with the male.

Without loosing track, I ran upstairs to retrieve my phone and some blankets. Then, after covering the male I ran towards the front door to shut it and retrieve the medical kit. That was when I saw a pair of headlights turning from the street and onto the driveway.

Do I dare? I slowly turned down to the device in my hands and winced when I flipped it open.

9 missed calls from Mom Cell.

"Ah crap." I cursed.

* * *

**I feel so proud of myself! I'm creating progress! The funnies starts next chapter, y'all! Have you figured out how the title makes sense yet? If you have, please leave a comment in a review as well as any thoughts on the chapter and/or the story so far. **

**As I said in the intro I'm going to need your help pretty soon, have you read "Rules to Keep You Alive"? Well, it's like that except a bit different. **

**I have officially decided to screw my schedule; it's just easier that way. So be expecting more chapters soon, because the story's just getting started.**

**You know what to do guys, see you next time.**

**WingedWolfAlari out.**


	4. Ch 4 Miracles and No Opposable Thumbs

**HELLO READERS! WingedWolfAlari here, back with another chapter of Every Bot has Its Day, hot off the press. **

**School has been a real killer lately, but it's almost the end of the year, so what do you expect? Because of this, I probably won't be updating as frequently in the next several weeks. That doesn't mean that I won't be updating at all, just not as frequent.**

**On the plus side, MY DAD GOT ENGAGED! YAY! Ever since my mom died about two years ago, my dad has been struggling, but he kept on going for my little brother's and my sake. Then, his future fiancé came along, and I have never seen him so happy. So, if he's happy, I'm happy. It also helps that I absolutely LOVE his fiancé. So, we're excited.**

**I just wanted to take the time to say how thankful I am that bunches of people love this story. Time's are tough, there is no up without down, and every single one of us is going to experience some sort of strife within our lifetime. But it's only with the supporting hand of a friend that one can learn to overcome these difficulties, and move on.**

**This is what's going on in my life right now, and you guys play an important part in helping me through these tough times. So, thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate it.**

**Alright, let's get on with the chapter. Keep in mind that there is a mix of serious and funny parts in this chapter. I know that in the last chapter I said that it was the last serious chapter, but I never really got around to what I was going to put into that chapter and saved it for this one.**

**Disclaimer: I own my OCs who actually do appear in this chapter.**

* * *

_Chapter 4: Miracles and no Opposable Thumbs_

_Darby house- 3__rd__ pov_

"So let me get this straight," June said to her son. "You found them in the front yard. And without even thinking about it, you dashed downstairs without calling me, ran outside into that horrible storm, took your coat off and draped it over an unfamiliar dog who could have rabies, and brought them both INSIDE THE HOUSE!" Her voice had risen from a concerned tone to a harsh scolding mid-sentence.

Jack found himself unable to answer her directly at that moment. His mind was swimming as he tried to find an excuse that would appease her. But, she was right; those dogs he took inside could be diseased, or aggressive. Why did he act on impulse?

Unconsciously, he muttered, "I just couldn't leave them there."

He spared a glance at the two dogs; both of them were resting peacefully next to the hearth. The wooden logs occasionally cracked as they were being turned into ash. June turned to look at them too, and sighed.

"I guess I can't punish you for everything you did."

The raven-haired teen sharply turned back to his mother in shock, "What do you mean?"

June turned back to him with a small yet proud smile on her face. "During your time with the Autobots, I've seen you mature so much. You developed a strong sense of care for those in need, similar to the Autobots' care for humankind. I've also taught you many things you need to know when dealing with an emergency situation. And, had those dogs been human beings, you would have saved their lives. For that, I'm so proud of you."

Jack felt his ego rise, before having it smacking right back down to size again.

"But you need to promise me something, Jackson Darby," June became serious again.

"Yes ma'am?" Jack murmured nervously.

He felt his mother set her hands on his shoulders, "Please think ahead a little, and call me next time."

He hugged her, "I will, Mom. I promise."

They released their grip on one another. Then, June kissed his forehead, saying that Arcee would have been proud of him too. Jack solemnly nodded in agreement before turning back to their guests.

"So, what are we going to do with them?"

June was silent for a while before answering, "Well, it's too late to take them to the shelter. I'm not going out into that storm and we are certainly not sending them back out there either. After we examine them they will just have to stay the night."

Jack was pleased by that answer. The female dog intrigued him; she seemed to release emotions like a human being, even though she was a dog. Speaking of the female, she had awoken and was attempting to sit up.

"Jack, hold her down." The nurse ordered.

The senior wasted no time in carefully pushing the dog's head back down; his thumb began to repeatedly stroke her head like it had done outside. Though he didn't clamp her muzzle shut, as so he wouldn't frighten and/or threaten her. He also placed his other hand on her shoulder, pinning her.

"Easy girl, save your strength. It's been a long day for you so you should rest." He cooed softly to her.

The animal's beautiful violet laced blue eyes opened slowly before blinking several times. They squinted slightly, as if the dog was smiling. Her tail began to weakly thump against the floor as she sighed. She then pushed her slender snout further into the palm of his hand. This was no aggressive dog.

Fully convinced, he slowly retreated his hands away from the dog, who remained absolutely still where she was lying down. She never took her eyes off of him.

"Jack, why don't you go warm up some water and bring it back here." June requested as she began examining the male for injuries. The onyx haired teen nodded before getting back up onto his feet.

"Be right back." He said to the female as he headed into the kitchen and got a bowl out of the cabinet. The dog swerved her head around, checking out her surroundings before she lifted her head up…and spoke.

"Jack, why is everything so big?"

_**CRASH!**_

* * *

_Unknown- Optimus' pov_

I am not sure about when I had started walking, or why I had started walking, or even how long I had been walking. All I could feel was my feet touching and lifting off the ground in a steady rhythm, and the tireless pounding of my spark within my chest.

I guess that my vision has cleared a little, not enough to see detail of any kind, but it was by far an improvement. Still, it wasn't helping the painful ache inside my head, at all. The sensations refused to stop as they continued to overload my processor.

However, despite the CPU ache, I tried to concentrate on recent events; trying to find a way to replenish the memories I had to have of MECH and their project. Yet, all I found was a familiar clear blankness. A blankness that was similar to the one that haunted me after my time as Orion Pax on the Nemesis. The blankness of amnesia, I had no memory of my escape from Silas, nor the outcome of the rest of my team.

* * *

_Jack's house-Male's pov_

I feel fuzzy, not just mentally, but physically as well. Well… not just that. I feel strange too, like I've been distorted. Oh, and I feel like I'm a mess, not on the inside, no, how about _physically_ on the inside and the outside. I guess it's nice to know that you're not _mentally_ messed up on the inside…

Okay, that came out WAY wrong. How about this; I feel like I've gone under a huge change, I'm covered from head to foot in dirt and grime, and I have no clue as to what my five W's and H are, or even have the slightest idea as to how I go about finding out. But that's okay, cause I am and need to remain calm.

_Alright, which one of my senses do I try out first, sight, sound, taste, or touch._ (twitch twitch)

_Okay, at least I can move, that's good. _

I strain my senses, attempting to figure out what did and didn't work. Everything seems to be fine, despite my body's unnatural distortion. Fully confident that I wasn't hurting anywhere, I tried to open one of my eyes, which was promptly shut upon doing so.

_Why are my optics watery?_ _I guess that_ _I didn't let my eyes adjust long enough to see my surroundings, at least not clearly. _

I suddenly can pick up faint voices in the background. They sound familiar, how bizarre.

_**CRASH!**_

"I DIDN'T DO IT!" *thump*. I randomly shouted as I bolted upright. Then I found myself on the floor after tripping over my own feet.

The room wasn't anything like MECH's lab. It looked like a human's living room. I had been sitting on a comfy pillow covered with a blanket next to a warm hearth. I too a second to admire the crackling flames, my body welcoming it's warmth.

I groaned, sitting up frustrated when I realized I couldn't rub my sore helm with my servo. I had to do a double take; my servo wasn't a servo. It was an animal's paw. I didn't realize that while I became paralyzed with shock, three others were swiveling their heads from one another in a similar state.

After a few minutes of giving my new body one quick lookover, I naturally did what any bot would do in my situation; I freaked out.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! WHAT THE FRAGGING PIT HAPPENED TO ME!" I began to hyperintake, the other three figures just stared unsure what to do.

"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I MEAN LOOK AT ME, I'M HIDEOUS!" I cried out in despair.

The other animal looked at herself and then she joined my little screaming fest too! Soon enough, the other female human, I think, was flipping out with us. This lasted for several minutes, I could feel my voice becoming hoarse but I could care less.

"QUIET!"

The three of us shut up immediately at the male human's tone. He looked like he had had enough. Wait a second, that black hair, and an expression that clearly stated that he matured much too early in life, it can't be, it couldn't be.

"Jack? Is that you, bud?" I nervously asked.

The raven teens eyes widened. He stepped carefully over the many sharp shattered pieces of broken porcelain and knelt down in front of me. I could tell he was hesitating. After what seemed like forever, I could feel my spark jump for joy when Jack finally asked,

"Smokescreen?"

"JACK!" I literally tackled him and buried my muzzle in his shirt.

"Oh my Primus, Jack. I missed you so much. When we were captured by MECH, I thought I was going to die in there. For the first time in my life, Jack I felt true fear flow through my very being. I was terrified, but I wouldn't give in. I never gave up Jack! I never did!"

* * *

_Jack's pov_

I was in total disbelief. In my arms I held what was once such a bright and fearless soul. I felt another surge of hatred towards the terrorist organization well up inside me again because of what they had done for Smokescreen. But I pushed it back down for the rookie's sake. All I could do was hold him as he let out all of his emotions.

I suddenly felt a cold wet surface brush up against the back of my hand. I looked down at the female dog who looked at me with salty tear-filled eyes. I took one of my hands off of Smokescreen and cupped the former Autobot femme's face. I smiled softly,

"It's alright Arcee, just let it out. *sniff* I missed you too guys." And with that, the Autobot turned dogs continued to sob into my shirt. I could feel tears threatening to spill from my own eyes, and I didn't dare hold them back.

About an hour later, the sobs subsided and the canines lay fast asleep in my lap. Mom came in and draped a blanket over them and sat down next to us.

"This shouldn't be possible; how did MECH turn them into dogs?"

"I'm not sure," I answered. "But if Cee and Smokey are like this, then we can assume the rest of the Autobots are as well."

I stroked my partner's head, shuffling a particularly long clump of fur bangs out of the way of her face. Through all the dirt and grime I could make out spots of sapphire, chrome, and pastel pink fur. I could easily see Smokescreen's racing colors under the mess as well.

"They'll need baths in the morning." My mother commented. I couldn't resist a chuckle at the thought. They were very dirty indeed, how did they get that way. My eyebrows furrowed at what health condition we would find them in after the layer of earth would be removed. My mind also flashed to the other 'bots, and what kind of condition they were in right now. Cold, covered from head to tail in filth, confused, miserable, possibly ill or injured; the list went on.

I shook my head; right now I need to focus on Arcee and Smokescreen's recovery. I would gather the others for a search party later.

I turned my head to the window, _Hang in there guys; we'll find you._

* * *

_The alley-Optimus' pov_

I sighed as I turned around another corner, only to find yet another alleyway that looked exactly the same. I've lost track on how long I have been padding. I'm not sure if I even care anymore. All I care about is the wellbeing of my team; I must find them.

*growl, snarl*

My head lifted up to better hear the sound. It didn't sound friendly.

I flinched when I made out a figure stepping out of the shadows. Paws first, then its brown well-built chest, and eventually its muzzle with yellow fangs bared. It's corduroy eyes glinted with the little light that peeked into the corridor.

"*growl* How dare you enter my territory!" His voice was raspy. I could making out the lining of his hackles rising as he opened his jaws to let out a fang filled snarl. I would not resort to violence; it is not in my code.

"I am sorry to intrude. I was unaware of this place being claimed. I will pose no threat to you. I was only passing through."

The blurry figure didn't seem satisfied with that answer. Rather he reared back into a lunging stance.

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHATEVER YOU WERE DOING! NO ONE SETS FOOT ON MY GROUNDS AND LIVES TO TELL THE TALE!"

He sprang, "NOW DIE!"

Instinctively, I attempted to engage my battle mask, but it was in vain. I released a piercing shrill cry as I felt dozens of what seemed like Megatron's blades tear into the flesh on my shoulder and piercing my collarbone. The force of the tackle sent me reeling backwards with the blurry figure pinning me down on top. A deep fiery pain infinitely coursed through my entire body with the pressure he applied. Several drops of metallic tasting blood dripped from his muzzle and onto mine. Was that _my blood_?

"*snarl* Any last words, weakling." He was prepared to make a deathblow.

_I am sorry everyone. I failed you._ I silently apologized as I closed my eyes and prepared to join the Allspark.

However, I wouldn't be joining it his day. I felt the being's weight ripped off me, followed by a string of snaps, snarls, and savage barks, and finally the sound of a whimpering form retreating.

"MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU'LL THINK TWICE BEFORE PICKING ON AN INNOCENT HUH, SCINT!" A female voice called after the defeated.

"YAH GET LOST, YOU BIG BULLY. Another female voiced shouted.

I struggled to breathe, my two saviors bounded over to where I lay.

"Sir! Are you alright?" Everything was going black, the voices dimmed.

"_It's no use… we nee… get him to see… Cadence. …She can patch…him up."_

Blackness once again.

* * *

**WOOOOO! Another chapter down. Some fluff 'n junk like that. And now, I NEED YOUR HELP! That's right, the Autobot's have turned into dogs, and I need ideas people. What do you think Team Prime should do during their doggy tail? (See what I did there, yah you laughin). Please send your requests via review or PM me. And remember, if I don't get any reviews, you don't get a story, I thought I should put in that ElhiniPrime inspired rule into this story since I'll be posting a fan story based off of Son of the Stars very soon, so stay tuned.**

**SCHOOL'S ALMOST OUT EVERYBODY! LET'S GET EXCITED!**

**Who are Optimus' mysterious saviors? What will become of Arcee and Smokey? And where the heck is everyone else? Find out next time on Every Bot has Its Day. You know what to do guys, follow, fav, and review.**

**See ya next time.**

**WingedWolfAlari out.**


	5. Ch 5 In Shallow Water Part 1

**Hello Readers! I'm back with another chapter of Every Bot Has Its Day! So yeah, lots of things have been going on right now in my life; art trades, Deviantart stuff, working with the Crusaders, writing other stories, etc. But, the most important thing is that…**

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! **

**Or was, June 25****th**** to be exact. I am so sorry about updating the chapter so late! I started the chapter on my birthday with full intentions of completing it that day, but my family had other plans. Little by little each day, I slowly got further and further along, but things kept coming up. Once again I'm super sorry!**

**Alright, I got that out of the way. Now some stuff about this week's chapter. **

**I WILL NOT be reuniting the kids and the bots right away. Why? **

**Drama**

**More laughs**

**I need to satisfy my cravings for an awesome story.**

**There will be some more action between Smokey, Cee, and the hoomans this chapter, yes I said HOOMANS. Why? Just cuz.**

**Keep in mind; this is not a Jack/Arcee story. It's an Optimus/Arcee story, btw the actual romance won't actually hit for a loooooong time, so don't expect to see anything for a loooooong while. There will be Jack and Arcee fluff and nothing more, just letting you know. **

**There will also be a crossover next chapter. I'll give you a hint- It's another hub show. **

**Keep in mind that since this is a dog story, there will be dog-related stories or crossovers on occasion. I plan on appealing to a ton of fandoms, I really can't wait till Christmas, Ohohohoho, I have BIG plans for Christmas.**

**Alright, on with the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own this hub TV show, much to my dismay.**

* * *

**Chapter 5- In Shallow Water: Part 1**

* * *

_Arcee's pov_

I felt myself slowly gain consciousness, and I felt afraid. I refused to open my optics, no eyes, because I feared that everything that had happened was all a dream. What if I hadn't really escaped? Did I really make it back to Jack's comforting arms? What if I was still within the bowels of MECH's laboratory, where I would be subjected to further torment?

Of course, I, myself, am in no position to assume things like that, not unless I take the first step.

It took a few minutes, but I finally opened my eyes to find myself in the Darby's living room, and I let out a sigh of relief. I suddenly felt something moving next to me. It was Jack, snoozing in a sleeping bag on the floor next to me.

One of his arms hung out of the sleeping bag, brushed up against my side.

_Had he been up all night by my side? How sweet, typical hotshot._ I mused.

I suddenly realized that it had been the first night in at least a month that I had received a decent amount of sleep. The pain from those experiments kept us up late into the nights. My frame ached from being restrained in such an uncomfortable position. Whenever I passed out from exhaustion, I was immediately awoken by horrifying nightmares.

Shivers ran down my spine, causing my fur to bristle. I rested my head on my new paws, plagued by these unwelcome memories. I unconsciously let out a soft, worried whimper and shut my eyes tightly, hoping that the bad thoughts would disappear. Something touched my back, and I gasped loudly as I flinched.

"Arcee?"

I slowly turned to find Jack wide-awake, staring at me with eyes full of concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "I hope you got a good rest last night. I can tell you needed it."

I don't know what came over me but I couldn't find the courage to answer his question. My heart was racing. I could feel my body begin to tremble, and then it started shaking violently.

"Arcee!" Jack exclaimed. He waved his hand in front of my face in an attempt to break the terrorizing spell. I uncontrollably shrunk back as he reached for me.

Without warning, the high school senior lunged, pulling me into a tight hug. I don't know why, but I had let out a series of shrill yelps and had tried to struggle free from his grip, but Jack held on.

Eventually, my body gave up and went slack against his chest, as did his own muscles.

"Arcee," he said again. "Something is definitely wrong, talk to me."

My eyes drifted to meet his once again. I took a deep breath, and said something I would never have admitted to anyone else other than Optimus.

"Jack… I'm scared."

He looked at me hard, his eyes now full of sympathy. One of his hands weaved through my bangs, pushing them off to the side. He took one of the strands and rubbed it between his fingers. I then noticed a small, steady stream of dirt piling up on the floor.

"It's alright, Cee. I know what'll make you feel better." With a grunt, he picked me up gently and carried me outside. There, I saw a metal tub in the driveway. I could hear the water pouring into the tub from a green rubber hose that was hooked into one of the tin handles.

A bath actually sounded good right about now. I'd do anything to get my body rid of all that MECH had left behind.

Slowly, Jack crouched down keeping me suspended over the water. He got down onto one knee, and dipped one of my paws into the water. I was surprised to find that the water wasn't cold, but in fact lukewarm.

"Is it alright?" Jack asked.

"Y-yeah." I stuttered; the aftershock of the anxiety attack was taking its toll.

He nodded, and in the next minute, I was submerged up to my shoulders in water. The warm water soothed my throbbing muscles, kind of like the oil baths back on Cybertron. I was too wrapped up in the pleasure I was feeling to notice that Jack had left me alone in the driveway.

I noticed him walking out of the garage with a bucket in hand. He was also wearing a worn out t-shirt and swim trunks instead of his usual attire. He set himself and the bucket down next to the tub and got to work.

He started out by sifting the water over my back until my fur was thoroughly wet. He then reached into the bucket and pulled out a red plastic cup. He turned the hose back on and filled the cup with clean water. Jack then used his free hand to tilt my head up. I instantly closed my eyes as the warm liquid ran over my head and down my neck before splashing into the tub with the rest of the water. Soon enough, I was completely soaked.

I noticed the water level receding, Jack had somehow pulled the plug. Then, for whatever reason, I tried to find my reflection, and was absolutely appalled at how dirty the water was.

Though it was filthy, I missed the warmth. I began shivering because now it was _freezing_.

"Hang in there, Cee." Jack chuckled while pulling out a bottle of shampoo. "I'll turn it back on in a few minutes."

After flipping the cap open, he flipped the bottle over and squeezed the goopy, transparent blue substance onto my fur. I'm not sure I liked the feeling of the shampoo as it was drizzled over each general area of my body. It was slimy and cold.

Jack then stretched his fingers, cracking several joints in the process. After shaking any excess tension in his hands, he began to scratch my back.

Any previous thoughts I had immediately slipped away; I was completely consumed by the pleasure I was feeling. Jack applied just the right amount of pressure as he massaged my muscles, relieving them of any numb pain. The soap turned to suds as it began to lather under Jack's hands.

A particular clump of bubbles flicked off and floated onto my nose. I felt my muzzle crinkle and warp at the unfamiliar feeling. I could have sworn that I had seen Jack do this before, but that was before-

"AH-CHOO!" I shuddered after the sudden burst. "Ugh, Jack what just happened to-*snicker*" I held back giggles. Jack's face was covered in suds. One could say he grew a Santa Claus like beard.

He was NOT amused.

"You sneezed, Arcee." He replied bluntly. His annoyed eyes rolled as I continued to snicker.

"It's not funny." He retorted with a slight smirk.

"Yeah it is."

"No. It's. Not"

"Yes. It. Is."

"No way."

"Yeah way."

"Nuh-uh"

"Yeah-huh"

"Nope."

"Yep."

We went back and forth, for what seemed like forever. Our voices got louder as the repartee became quicker. This was a battle of wits, and we fought using our words.

I won.

Jack cracked a devious smile, "Oh yeah, well let's see how YOU like it!"

The next minute, I got a face full of bubbles, after which I retaliated by using my tail to flick even more suds onto him. I let out a girly scream when he pushed me into the huge mass of suds that had fallen off of my body. However, I managed to bite his shirt, and he let out a pathetic yelp as he tumbled into the metal tub with me. Thousands of bubbles were sent flying, and both of us were releasing fits of laughter. My own laughter tripled when Jack attempted to stand up, only to slip and fall right back down on his butt. I had been laughing so hard that I began to wheeze.

I was exhausted again, lying in a tub filled with suds with my partner beside me. A ridiculous situation if there ever was one.

Do I have any regrets? Nope.

* * *

_Jack's pov_

We had calmed down a few minutes after I fell into the tub. My butt is still sore from the ordeal. I have to admit, it was VERY awkward, but I don't regret any minute of it. It was reassuring to see my partner in such good spirits, especially after what she had been through. I don't think I could ever imagine myself just exposed and helpless, at the mercy of gut-wrenching experiments. No one should ever have to go through something like that even once. Arcee has been through it three times. I took advantage of every moment I could spend with her, because she could disappear the next. Fate has given us another chance, and I will not waste it.

After climbing out of the tub and wiping the suds off, I started the hose again and began to rinse off Arcee. It didn't take long, and I gawked at how much her coat gleamed. I did an awesome job.

I turned the hose off and Arcee began to shiver again. Something didn't seem right. Something was missing.

It suddenly hit me, no wonder I brought an umbrella out here.

"Arcee, you need to shake." I told her.

A very puzzled look was my answer. I sighed; I shouldn't have to explain something as simple as shaking to a dog. Well, she was never originally a dog in the first place. If she can't act like a dog, people might ask questions. That means that I have to teach her, but how could I?

I scratched my head in frustration, mulling over my predicament when suddenly I got a text from Mom.

Have you called Miko or Raf yet?

I answered no, but I needed too. They would be overjoyed to see Arcee and Smokescreen again. The reunion would also raise their hopes of finding their guardians as well. So, right after I ended Mom's text message, I messaged Miko and Raf this one phrase.

Meet me at helicopter mom HQ; I have a surprise for you:)

I then grabbed the two towels I had brought in the bucket. I sat aside one of the towels and draped the other one over Arcee. Next, I began rubbing her down gently to avoid causing her any discomfort. I could feel the cloth becoming damp from the excess water that stuck to her coat.

After a few minutes of rubbing her down, I once again grabbed the bucket, and pulled out a thick brush, a hairdryer, and a few feet of extension cord.

I draped the towel over Arcee to keep her warm while I hooked up the hairdryer. I had just plugged it in and was walking back out to Arcee when suddenly; a car zoomed around the corner and screeched to a halt in front of my driveway.

Were those people _nut_s?!

The driver's door opened, and I let out an annoyed sigh when I saw who the driver was.

Not nuts, just Miko.

"Sup Jackson!" she cried out without necessity.

I only rolled my eyes and then gasped when I saw Raf slowly climb out of the back seat. He looked shell shocked.

"Raf! Are you okay?" I yelled, running over to help steady him.

"Chillax Jack, he's fine!" Miko butted in, but I ignored her.

"It's okay Jack." Raf said. "I'm a bit shaken up, but still alive."

I nodded and then turned my head to Miko, who was leaning against the car supported on her elbows. Then I cleared my throat, and took a deep breath as I channeled my inner June Darby.

"MIKO! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? HOW DID YOU EVEN GET HERE?" I scolded her harshly.

But, since Miko is Miko, she was immune to my outburst; rather than shrinking back in defeat like any normal child would, a giddy smile spread across her face instead.

"I totally jacked my host parents' car! It was so awesome! It just goes to show ya that action movies teach you way more than that lousy education does. So I just zipped my way over to Raf's place, picked him up, and zipped my way here." She looked as though she was about to start bouncing up and down from her excitement.

"Miko…" I started.

"Jack!" she cut me off. " Relax, it's not like I didn't have any experience."

Realizing that there was no point in trying to win against her, I just waved it off and dropped the argument. I turned back to the bucket, about to resume my task, when suddenly,

"So Jack, what's the surprise?" Raf asked.

"Surprise?"

"Yeah dude why do ya think we're here?" Miko added.

My mind flashed to the text I sent them, and a warm smile made it's way across my face.

"It's not ready yet." I replied, turning to face them. "Look, how about you guys go inside while I get the surprise ready. There's some pizza in the fridge, feel free to have some."

They both shrugged, and then started towards the garage. I gasped when Miko bolted over to the spot where Arcee was sitting.

"OHMIGOSH! IS IT UNDER THIS TOWEL?" She reached for the fabric.

For a second I felt like the Kid Flash, then I slapped Miko's hand the following second.

"OW!" She shot me a glare. "The hell dude!"

I only returned the glare. My hand shot out, my index finger pointed towards the house. She huffed, rolling her eyes; my gaze followed her into the house, where I caught her spying out the window. I rebuked her by shaking my index finger side to side, silently telling her to stop snooping. To my relief, Raf came up behind her and urged her away from the window.

After making sure that neither of them were watching, I pulled the towel off of Arcee. She had remained surprisingly silent throughout the whole event, which left me with relief and worry at the same time. She looked up at me, and smiled to the best of her ability. All worry washed away after that.

"Thanks for keeping cover."

"Well…" she replied. "My life is mostly built around camouflaging and being undercover. Though I can't say that I have ever been a 'surprise' for anyone before."

"Can't argue with that kind of logic. And I plan on having you look your best when you're fully re-introduced to the rest of the humans; which reminds me," I pulled out the hairdryer, setting it to low and warm. "We shouldn't keep them waiting."

For the next fifteen minutes or so, I watched Arcee's fur blow around frantically. We gradually worked our way up to the high and hot settings so that Arcee could adapt. To keep the flying fur neat, I ran the brush through it to get the tangles out. There were a few points where she would flinch when one or two large, stubborn knots wouldn't come loose, but she didn't complain.

Finally, I turned the hairdryer off, lightly brushed her entire coat to make it neat, and made a few last adjustments before taking a few steps back to admire my work.

"Well?" Arcee asked. "How do I look?"

I stood there in silence and absolute awe. By the looks of her, Arcee had been converted into a sighthound-like breed, perhaps a Persian Greyhound. Her head was long and narrow; her large violet-laced blue eyes accented her drop ears, which were mostly royal blue with pink markings that resembled her audio finials. One long pink bang drooped over the left side of her chrome colored muzzle. Like most sighthounds, she had long legs, standing at around two feet tall at the shoulder blades. She also had the signature sighthound's deep chest, which resembled the color pattern of her breastplates. Sighthounds are known to have long and slender frames, which made them fast runners; Arcee was no exception. I took note of the extra fur on her paws, which would help her should she ever need to scale rough terrain. Two rough cowlicks ran down her back that resembled her winglets, and her feathered coat made her look more feminine in dog terms. Also, she had a long, curved, feathered tail; one characteristic that defines a Persian Greyhound. To top it all off, her color scheme matched her paintjob perfectly.

Though my hatred for MECH would never shake, I had to hand it to them; they spent a long time matching Arcee with a breed of dog that would best suit her abilities. Perhaps this amount of thinking could help us find the others.

"You look awesome Arcee." I replied with confidence. "Come on, I can't wait to see the looks on the others' faces." And I started to jog to the front door.

When I looked over my shoulder, I noticed that Arcee had not moved from her spot. She had gotten to all fours, and one of her paws was hanging precariously in the air. She was moving it around as if she was confused on where to place her paw. Come to think of it, I hadn't ever actually seen her walk. Since I had found her and Smokescreen, I had been carrying them both. And prior to their transformation, other than lowering into a crouch, they had never needed to be on all fours with both servos and pedes touching the ground. Well, she would have had to learn sooner or later, why not now?

"You need any help, partner?" I called out to her.

"No no no, I can figure it out, thank you."

A split second later, her legs tangled, she started to fall, but she caught herself…

Though not gracefully.

I was releasing new fits of laughter as I watched her struggle to regain her footing from her splayed out stance.

"It's not funny!" she yelled.

"Yeah it is!"

"UH UH, DON'T YOU START THAT AGAIN!" she snapped.

Eventually, after I laughed some more, she did regain her footing. After building a good walking rhythm, she briskly padded up to the front door next to me.

"It's now or never, Jack," she said.

"True. You wanna bet on their reactions?"

"I'm a dog, Jack. What is there to bet?"

"Touché."

I opened the door, and we headed inside.

* * *

**DONE! Alright, this chapter was going to be much longer. And I know, no Smokey in this chapter, I wanted to put him in here too. However, I wanted to update this chapter faster. **

**The original plan for this chapter was to have the bath, the reunion of the two current bots and the other hoomans, the other bath, and the crossover **_**featuring two more bots**_**. YAAAAY!**

**So, whatever I didn't put in this chapter, will be in the next chapter. Don't expect to hear from Optimus and the three mystery 'girls' for about two chapters AKA the chapter after next chapter. **

**I'm taking my time with the reunion of the bots and the humans because I believe that realistically it wouldn't be so rushed. I gave them a month; it seemed like an opportune time to take in some bots. Realistically, I might give them a couple weeks before they actually meet the next four bots or so. **

**SPOILER ALERT!**

**Realistically, Jack, Miko, and Raf will probably be back in school by the time Optimus really starts coming around.**

**SPOILER END!**

**As I said in the intro description, I have been planning on doing some crossovers with other dog-related stories. Since the Beast Hunters came out, and since I've been doing tons of research, the plot bunnies have piled up and have started to burst from my the closet inside my brain. So, because of this, it has been confirmed by me that there will be a sequel AND a side story to accompany this story. **

**OH MY GOSH I HAVE GOTTEN SO FREAKING STOKED!**

**Due to my sudden burst in inspiration for this story and a personality in which I'm eager to please, along with a sudden burst of writer's block for my some of my other stories, I will be putting the following stories on a temporary hiatus.**

**Wings of Pyrus**

**Nemesis Prime: Plan B (don't worry this one won't last long)**

**Burning Sanguine is a very short story with only one other chapter; I plan on finishing it very soon.**

**My upcoming stories for the Crusaders and one involving Predaking will also be postponed; they're still in their planning stages.**

**Alright, one more announcement. **

**GUYS, I NEED IDEAS!**

**This particular story was meant to be a story similar to 'Rules to Keep You Alive' except a bit different. I have gotten several ideas from some friends on DA that I will be using in some upcoming chapters. If you have an idea that I have not heard before, I WILL USE IT AND GIVE YOU CREDIT!**

**Here's what you need to do, come up with an idea of certain lessons about dog life that the bots can learn. Remember how Jack was thinking about how on Earth he would teach Arcee how to be a dog? THAT is what I mean. **

**Speaking of Arcee, anyone have any guesses about her strange behavior earlier in the chapter?**

**This is the longest post description I have ever written.**

**Alright, that is all I can tell you about the story as of now. You guys know the drill. Don't forget, no reviews, no chapter.**

**Have a nice weekend everyone.**

**Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the Cons are in the next chapter.**

**WingedWolfAlari out.**


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